The theatre major prepares students for careers in acting, design and technology, production, management, and teaching. Our graduates are expected to possess the following competencies: the ability to understand and apply the skills necessary for success as an actor or actress; to prepare students, non-students and professionals for theatrical presentations; to direct, produce and manage the overall operations of a theatre; to possess an understanding of the role of theatre in today’s society and to the theatre of other cultures.
THE 109 - Practicum
Hours: 1
Practicum. One semester hour. Supervised practice and instruction in theatre production experiences including: set construction, acting, ushering, costuming, house management, lighting, directing, and other activities related to the production of plays. Required of all majors for each semester of study. Practicum is required in addition to the regular course of study.
THE 122 - Stage Movement
Hours: 3
Stage Movement - Three semester hours This course explores the movement skills necessary for the actor with emphasis on physical training and practical application in realistic and abstract performance efforts.
THE 209 - Practicum
Hours: 1
THE 209 A-B - Practicum - Hours: 1 Supervised practice and instruction in theater production experiences including: set construction, acting, ushering, costuming, house management, lighting, directing, and other activities related to the production of plays. Note Required of all majors for each semester of study. Practicum is required in addition to the regular course of study.
THE 211 - GBL/Oral Interpretation
Hours: 3
(SPCH 2341) Analysis of theme, mood, imagery, and style in order to interpret prose and poetry. Practice in planning and presenting these materials is included.
THE 213 - Fund of Acting
Hours: 3
(DRAM 1351) Fundamentals of Acting. Three semester hours. (2) Basic acting techniques of characterization, role analysis, stage movement, voice and body control.
THE 215 - Technical Theatre
Hours: 1-4
Technical Theatre. Four semester hours (2 lecture, 4 lab). Lecture and laboratory in the basic techniques of scene construction, lighting, painting, drafting, and rigging. Laboratory hours include the crewing of one production in addition to supervised labs on the various production areas.
THE 218 - Stage Make-up
Hours: 3
(DRAM 1341) Stage Make-up. Three semester hours (2 lecture, 2 lab). Theory and practice in straight and character make-up for stage and television. Attention to the study of physiognomy, prosthetic pieces, and character make-up. Included is the crewing of one production.
THE 236 - Voice and Diction
Hours: 3
Voice and Diction - Three semester hours This course involves a practical and theoretical study of the voice mechanism and the broad International Phonetic Alphabet in order that the student may improve vocal performances onstage.
THE 249 - Costume Construction
Hours: 4
An overview of the basic construction practices in a costume shop. Students will learn skills such as patterning, stitching, fitting, shop procedures, and safety.
THE 305 - Integrated Arts for Elem Teach
Hours: 3
Integrated Arts for Elementary Teachers. Three semester hours. This course is designed to introduce students to various theatre, visual, and musical arts content and experiences in the elementary school classroom.
THE 308 - Playwriting
Hours: 3
Playwriting. Three semester hours. (2) Developing the skill of writing plays is emphasized. Play criticism and review of plays by professionals and students will be stressed.
THE 309 - Practicum
Hours: 1
THE 309 A-B - Practicum Hours: 1 Supervised practice and instruction in theatre production experiences including: set construction, acting, ushering, costuming, house management, lighting, directing, and other activities related to the production of plays. Note Required of all majors for each semester of study. Practicum is required in addition to the regular course of study.
THE 310 - Survey of Visual Arts
Hours: 3
Survey of Visual Arts for Theatre - Three semester hours A team-taught course which resents the visual trends in history, in which the social arts relate to the visual arts of Architecture, Furniture, Chattels, and Costumes. Course covers the time of Shakespeare up through 1940.
THE 311 - GLB/Readers Theatre
Hours: 3
Three semester hours. (2) A study of literary materials with a view to their use in the presentation of programs for adults and children. Practice in planning and presenting these programs is included.
THE 312 - Theatrical Design
Hours: 3
Theatrical Design Seminar Desc A team-taught course in which the basic fundamentals of design are related to the particular disciplines involved in all of the theatre arts (the course is a prerequisite for all the other design courses and for student designs on stage.)
THE 315 - Stage Dialects
Hours: 3
A survey of the basic techniques for learning and applying stage dialects. Prerequisites: THE 236.
THE 316 - Lighting Theatre
Hours: 3
Lighting for the Theatre. Three semester hours. (1, 2) The basic techniques of the principles and practices of lighting design for stage and television. Included are design functions, instrumentation, electricity, history and theories of design. Prerequisite: THE 215.
THE 317 - Stage Management
Hours: 3
This course is an in-depth look at the role of the stage manager within the theatre industry. Topics will include: terminology, management skills, production books, blocking notes, interpersonal skills, duties (pre-production, production, and post-production), communication, and training of assistants and crew members.
THE 318 - Scenic Painting
Hours: 3
Scenic Painting - Three semester hours The course will cover the techniques and skills necessary in scenic painting. Topics include: terminology, tools, faux finishes, abstract techniques, realistic reproduction, as well as washes and glazes.
THE 319 - Stage Properties
Hours: 3
Stage Properties - Three semester hours This course will cover the techniques and skills necessary to create stage properties for use in theatrical productions. Topics will include: terminology, tools, sculpting, adaptation of pre-formed objects, slip cast molds, plaster casting, and vacuform.
THE 340 - US HISTORY OF THEATRE I
Hours: 3
History of the Theatre I. Three semester hours. (1) Detailed study of the development of all phases of theatre art and drama from its origins to Elizabethan Theatre. Includes study of theatre plants, plays and major dramatic movements. Prerequisite: THE 1310 or permission of the instructor.
THE 345 - Acting Period Styles
Hours: 3
For the intermediate and advanced student actor, this course places primary emphasis on the development of characterization techniques, participation in physical and vocal acting exercises, and practical performance application through stylistic scene and monologue work.
THE 349 - Costume Design
Hours: 4
An exploration of the process and role of the costume designer in a production. Students will learn to analyze a script, create costume charts and renderings, research, and communicate effectively using proper design terminology.
THE 366 - Intro Scene Design
Hours: 3
Introduction to Scene Design. Three semester hours. (2) An introduction to the elements of design with a concentration on proper techniques of drafting ground plans and other design drawings. Included is the designing of a final design project. Prerequisite: THE 215 or permission of the instructor.
THE 389 - Independent Study
Hours: 1-4
Independent Study - Hours: One to four Individualized instruction/research at an advanced level in a specialized content area under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisites Consent of department head. Note May be repeated when the topic varies.
THE 397 - Special Topics
Hours: 3
Organized class. May be repeated when topics vary.
THE 409 - Practicum
Hours: 1
A-B - Practicum - Hours: 1 Supervised practice and instruction in theatre production experiences including: set construction, acting, ushering, costuming, house management, lighting, directing, and other activities related to the production of plays. Note Required of all majors for each semester of study. Practicum is required in addition to the regular course of study.
THE 415 - Stage Directing
Hours: 3
The procedure and the problems involved in directing a play from selection of the script, auditions, and conducting rehearsals to the final production. Prerequisites: THE 213.
THE 440 - US-History Theatre II
Hours: 3
History of the Theatre II. Three semester hours. (2) Detailed study of the development of all phases of theatre art and drama from the French Renaissance to the present. Includes study of theatre plants, plays and major dramatic movements. Prerequisite: THE 1310 or permission of the instructor.
THE 445 - Projects in Acting
Hours: 3
Advanced speech and movement for stage. The work includes characterization, auditioning techniques and materials for interpretation for director as well as for actor. Prerequisites: THE 213.
THE 450 - US-Voyages of Discovery
Hours: 3
Voyages of Discovery: Artists and Critics at Work. Three semester hours. (Capstone) A University Studies Capstone course that examines form, context and audience in works of art drawn from drama, literature, music, painting, and film and considered from the viewpoint of both the artist and the critic. Prerequisite: Junior standing.
THE 461 - Meisner Acting I
Hours: 3
Through exercises, performance activities, and presentations this course provides the student with a practical introduction to Sanford Meisner’s approach to actor training.
THE 462 - Meisner Acting II
Hours: 3
For the student-actor who has previously acquired a working knowledge of the foundational principles of Sanford Meisner’s approach to actor training, this course provides more advanced instruction in the following concepts: emotional preparation, interpretation, the personalization of text, the deeper wish and spine, personalizing the deeper wish provocative statements, and key fact. Prerequisites: THE 461.
THE 480 - Lyric Theatre
Hours: 3
This course will concern the questions and problems raised by fusion of words and music in musical theatre. Classical and popular repertory from many different nations and cultures are examined.
THE 489 - Independent Study
Hours: 1-4
Independent Study. One to four semester hours. Individualized instruction/research at an advanced level in a specialized content area under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated when the topic varies. Prerequisite: Consent of department head.
THE 490 - H Honors Thesis
Hours: 3
H Honors Thesis Hours: 6 Individualized instruction/research at an advanced level in a specialized content area under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisite Consent of head. Note May be repeated when the topic varies.
THE 491 - H Honors Readings
Hours: 3
[Print Course] AG 491 - H IND HONORS RDGS Hours: 3 Individualized instruction/research at an advanced level in a specialized content area under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisite Consent of head. Note May be repeated when the topic varies.
THE 495 - Senior Theatre Project
Hours: 3
Senior Theatre Project. Three semester hours. Theatre research and/or creative work that is intended to be the culmination of the theatre or broadfield theatre major. The work consists of a project proposal, outline, paper, and bibliography. Prerequisite: Senior standing.
THE 497 - Special Topics
Hours: 1-4
Special Topics. One to four semester hours. Organized class. May be repeated when topics vary.
THE 499 - Rehearsal and Performance
Hours: 3
Rehearsal and Performance. Three semester hours. Preparation and performance with laboratory related to the special problems of Summer Theatre, touring, indoor and outdoor productions. Techniques, practices, and processes in lighting, scenic, costume, sound, management, and acting for the undergraduate student.
THE 1310 - GLB/US-Intro to Theatre
Hours: 3
(DRAM 1310) A survey of the fields of theatre activity designed to provide introductory knowledge of all phases of drama, literature, performance, theatre plants and equipment, and production procedures.
Course descriptions also available through our online catalog.